Structured literacy emphasizes a systematic and explicit approach to teaching reading and writing. The six pillars upon which it is built are crucial for effective literacy instruction.
The 6 Pillars of Structured Literacy
Structured literacy focuses on these key components:
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Phonology: This involves understanding the sound structure of language. It's about recognizing and manipulating individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. For example, understanding that the word "cat" has three sounds: /k/, /æ/, and /t/. Activities may include phoneme blending, segmenting, and manipulating sounds.
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Sound-Symbol Association (Phonics): This is the connection between sounds (phonemes) and the letters that represent them (graphemes). It is the understanding that letters and letter combinations make specific sounds. An example is knowing that the letter 'c' often makes the /k/ sound (as in 'cat') or the letter combination 'sh' makes the /ʃ/ sound (as in 'ship'). This pillar requires explicit and systematic teaching of sound-letter correspondences.
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Syllable Instruction: A syllable is a word part that contains a vowel or vowel sound. Instruction here focuses on teaching common syllable types (e.g., closed, open, vowel-consonant-e, r-controlled) and how to decode and encode words based on syllable patterns. For example, understanding that the word "running" has two syllables: "run" and "ning."
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Morphology: Morphology is the study of meaningful parts of words, such as prefixes, suffixes, and roots. Understanding morphemes helps students decode and understand the meaning of complex words. For instance, knowing that the prefix "un-" means "not" can help students understand the meaning of words like "unhappy" or "undo."
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Syntax: Syntax is the set of rules governing how words are combined to form meaningful phrases and sentences. This includes understanding sentence structure, grammar, and how word order affects meaning. For example, understanding that "The cat chased the mouse" has a different meaning than "The mouse chased the cat."
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Semantics: Semantics is the aspect of language concerned with meaning. It includes vocabulary knowledge, comprehension strategies, and the ability to understand the meaning of words, phrases, sentences, and texts. Activities might include explicit vocabulary instruction, reading comprehension exercises, and discussions about text meaning.
In summary, these six pillars provide a comprehensive framework for structured literacy instruction, ensuring students develop strong foundational skills in reading and writing.
